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American Idioms AFS > American Idioms 4, B > Flashcards

American Idioms 4, B Flashcards

1
Q

Baby blues

A

Blue eyes

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2
Q

Back at you

A

Same to you (used to return a greeting or insult)

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3
Q

Back in the day

A

In the past, some time ago

“Back in the day, he’d had one of the greatest minds I’d ever come across”.

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4
Q

Back to square one

A

Back to the start; forced to begin something again

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5
Q

Backburner (on the)

A

Not urgent; set aside until later

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6
Q

Backing and filling

A

Delaying a decision by making small changes or arguing about small details

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7
Q

Backroom boy(s)

A

People who work in anonymity

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8
Q

Bad blood

A

To have ill feelings towards someone

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9
Q

Bad taste in one’s mouth

A

Unease, a feeling that something unspecified is wrong in a situation

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10
Q

Bail out

A

To rescue someone from a bad situation, to shield someone from the consequences of his or her actions

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11
Q

Bat an eye

A

To avoid expressing surprise, fear, or shock

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12
Q

Bat/Play for both teams

A

To be bisexual

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13
Q

Bat/Play for the other team

A

To be homosexual

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14
Q

Be an item

A

Two people are an item when they are having a romantic relationship

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15
Q

Be kovey–dovey

A

Expressing your love in public by constantly kissing and hugging

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16
Q

Be footloose and fancy-free

A

To be free of responsibilities, including romantic commitments

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17
Q

Beat the air

A

Fighting without any purpose

“You are just beating the air if you want to turn him into a good boy”.

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18
Q

Beat the heat

A

Finding a way to stay cool when it is very hot outside

“I have found that drinking a cool glass of water helps to beat the heat in summer”.

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19
Q

Beau monde

A

A fashionable society

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20
Q

Beck and call

A

Being completely available to someone when needed

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21
Q

Beef up

A

To become big and muscular

“Google has beefed up its search algorithm to provide the best quality search result to its users”.

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22
Q

Beggar the neighbor

A

To do something beneficial for oneself without worrying about how it affects others

23
Q

Behind the eight (or 8) ball

A

At a serious disadvantage

24
Q

Belle of the ball

A

The most beautiful woman in gathering

25
Q

Belly laugh

A

Loud, hearty laughter

26
Q

Bet one’s bottom dollar (on something)

A

Be certain that something will happen

27
Q

Bet the farm

A

Risk everything; spend all one’s money on something in hopes of success

28
Q

Between a rock and a hard place

A

Having two very bad choices

“I hate my job but cannot quit owing to my economic condition. I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place”.

29
Q

Between the devil and the deep blue sea

A

Between two equally difficult or unacceptable choices

“I’m really stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea”.

30
Q

Beyond the shadow of a doubt

A

Absolutely certain

31
Q

Beyound the pale

A

Unacceptable

“Nobody will want to be friends with you if you are considered beyond the pale in your social circle”.

32
Q

Bigger fish to fry

A

To have other, more important things to do

“You are not worth my time or energy; I have bigger fish to fry”.

33
Q

Bite the head off

A

Overreact in an angry or harsh way

“His mother nearly bit his head off when he got his new shoes dirty”.

34
Q

Black and blue

A

Hurt, either bodily, emotionally, or psychologically

“The man beat his own mother black and blue!”

35
Q

Blast from the past

A

A way to refer to something or someone reminding you of an earlier time.

36
Q

Blind as a bat

A

Unconscious to something

“Maria is so in love she is as blind as a bat when it comes to Mark’s rude behavior”.

37
Q

Blind impulse

A

The sudden and unaccountable desire to do something

38
Q

Blood, sweat, and tears

A

Putting a lot of effort to get a task done

39
Q

Blow away the cobwebs

A

If something blows away the cobwebs, it makes you feel more lively and refreshes your ideas

40
Q

Blow away

A

Impress someone very much

41
Q

Blow hot and cold

A

Shift one’s level of enthusiasm repeatedly

42
Q

Blow mind

A

Upset or distract

43
Q

Blowing smoke

A

To intentionally misinform or deceive.

44
Q

Bosom friend

A

Best friend who is very close to you

45
Q

Break new ground

A

To do something innovative

46
Q

Break the mold

A

To do something different from what is expected

47
Q

Bright spark

A

An intelligent and lively person (humorously).

48
Q

Brown study

A

Melancholy mood accompanied by deep

49
Q

Bury head in the sand

A

Hide from the truth

50
Q

Bury the hatchet

A

To stop fighting or arguing or to end old resentments

51
Q

Button your lip

A

Stop speaking

52
Q

Buy the farm

A

To die

53
Q

By dint of

A

As a result of something

54
Q

Black mood

A

To be angry, irritable, or in a temper

“Geoff was in one of his black moods today, and no amount of cajoling could snap him out of it”.

American Idioms AFS (5 decks)

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